Jeff Gordon has been added to the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season Chase, and will be competing for the championship, NASCAR announced on Friday.
Brian France said that he had the authority to change the rules, before announcing the addition of the veteran driver to the original 12 car field.
NASCAR met with the media on Friday afternoon after concluding a second investigation into alleged race manipulation last week at Richmond International Raceway.
Martin Truex Jr. was removed from the Chase earlier this week after NASCAR fined and docked all three MWR drivers after they determined that the driver of the No. 55 made an unnecessary pit stop. Ryan Newman was let into the Chase.
It is said that Front Row Motorsports driver David Gilliland was told to slow down so that his Ford teammate Joey Logano could pass.
Penske Racing, and Front Row Motorsports were put on probation for the rest of the season for actions detrimental to racing. France said that NASCAR couldn’t determine conclusively that Penske/Front Row “actually did anything on the track.”
They continued that Gordon deserved to be in the Chase.
“Looking at all of it, there were too many things that altered the event that gave an unfair disadvantage to Jeff and his team.” France said.
Gordon missed the Chase originally by one point.
